London's Royal Albert Hall pays tribute to Lata Mangeshkar 49 years after rare live concert

Lata Mangeshkar had performed at London's Royal Albert Hall on 1974

London's Royal Albert Hall on Friday paid a special tribute to late music legend Lata Mangeshkar nearly 49 years since she performed a rare live concert in the city.

The maestro, who died in February last year, had performed as part of the BBC's annual summer season of orchestral music known as the Proms, usually devoted to Western classical music with some recent attempts at widening its appeal to the Indian diaspora.

Prom 18 on Friday night included many of the renditions from the award-winning late playback singer's own live renditions at the Royal Albert Hall back in March 1974, including "Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo" and "Aaega Aane Wala" from the 1949 film Mahal, accompanied by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO).

"This is an extremely special moment for me, to be paying tribute to such a legend of Indian music, adored the world over," said singer Palak Muchhal, who sang a number of Lata Mangeshkar's numbers.

Palak Muchhal and Brother, Palash Muchhal TRIBUTE to Lata Mangeshkar - Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna at Royal Albert Hall:https://t.co/MESEuYgsdV pic.twitter.com/No79Jzvugj

— UnBoxPHD (@UnBoxPHD) July 28, 2023

Muchhal opened the show with a rendition of the title track from the 1978 film Satyam Shivam Sundaram followed by tracks from Bollywood classics such as Mughal-e-Azam and Kabhi Kabhie to more modern-day numbers from Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Mohabbatein and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.

"A single evening can offer only a snapshot of a career that spanned nearly seven decades, one in which she sang around 50,000 songs in countless films. Not only did she have a beautiful voice, but she used it to evoke a wide range of emotions in 36 different languages, earning her the title 'The Nightingale of India'," BBC Proms noted in a statement.

(With inputs from PTI)

Read more: Lata Mangeshkar’s legacy to be carried forward by these third generation Mangeshkars